Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Liu Jianchao

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Minister of State for the Indo-Pacific was made aware of the human rights record of Mr Liu Jianchao ahead of her meeting with him on 20 June, specifically his responsibility for the Chinese Communist Party's operations known as "Fox Hunt" and "Sky Net".

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Minister of State for the Indo-Pacific, Anne-Marie Trevelyan MP, attended the Great Britain-China Centre's Senior Leadership Forum on 20 June to provide opening remarks, and afterwards held a short bilateral meeting with Liu Jianchao, Head of the International Liaison Department of the Communist Party of China. Minister Trevelyan was briefed in advance, and through her speech and in the bilateral meeting set out the UK's views on China's human rights violations, including in Xinjiang, and the erosion of rights and freedoms in Hong Kong.The Government's approach is to engage constructively with China while steadfastly defending our national security and our values. Robust engagement to challenge human rights violations and stand up for the rights of the oppressed is at the core of the UK's diplomatic work around the world. We will continue to raise human rights issues directly with China.

Russia: Ukraine

Lord Hylton: To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they will make to government of Russia to secure the return of 27,000 adult Ukrainians allegedly held in captivity by that government, and any remaining children following the reported return of 371 children.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK condemns the forced transfer of Ukrainian civilians, including children, to Russia. The UK has repeatedly called on Russia to stop this practice, provide information on the whereabouts of these civilians and facilitate their safe return. We have raised this issue directly with the Russian Government and are urging them to allow unhindered access for humanitarian organisations, such as the International Committee of the Red Cross and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, to provide assistance to those affected populations in Russia, in line with its obligations under international humanitarian law.

Greek Islands: Refugees

Lord Hylton: To ask His Majesty's Government what analysis they have made of the October 2022 report by Médecins Sans Frontières alleging violent maltreatment of refugees on the island of Lesbos, including abductions, and also deprivation of food and basic care.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK Government consistently urges all states to uphold international law and international human rights standards and to avoid any action that may endanger human life. We have made no specific assessment in relation to these reports. We regularly discuss migration and treatment of refugees with all of our partners.

Malta: Refugees

Lord Hylton: To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Malta about the alleged return of some 500 persons, including 55 children and pregnant women, from a vessel in international waters, to Benghazi, Libya, where they had been imprisoned.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Tackling irregular migration and organised immigration crime remains an HMG priority. The British High Commission in-country regularly engages the Government of Malta on these issues. During his February 2023 visit, the Foreign Secretary raised migration with the Maltese Home Affairs Minister, and signed our Bilateral Cooperation Framework which included a commitment to restarting our UK-Malta Migration Dialogue. The High Commission has raised this specific case at senior level in the Home Affairs Ministry who advised that 'following multiple verifications of reported position through multiple searches, no boat was sighted in the reported position. Maltese authorities have no jurisdiction over any autonomous actions conducted in International Waters.'

Montenegro: Elections

Lord Blencathra: To ask His Majesty's Government what is their response to theCouncil of Europe report on the observation of the 2023 presidential election in Montenegro.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK welcomes the Council of Europe's (CoE) Report on the Presidential elections in Montenegro. Election monitoring is a vital tool for promoting and encouraging democracy. The UK contributed to the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) observer mission to Montenegro's Presidential elections. We also supported a local Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) which reported irregularities and broadcast an early results forecast, contributing to the integrity of the election. We will provide ongoing support for electoral reform analysis. The UK will continue to encourage Montenegro to strengthen electoral practices in line with ODIHR and CoE recommendations.

Bulgaria: Elections

Lord Blencathra: To ask His Majesty's Government what is their response to theCouncil of Europereport on the observation of the 2023 general election in Bulgaria.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We have noted the findings of the independent election observation missions in the recent Bulgaria general election, including by the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE). The UK, along with all other Council of Europe Member States will respond to the report through the Committee of Ministers.

Belarus: Elections

Lord Blencathra: To ask His Majesty's Government what is their response to Lord Blencathra’s report for the Council of Europe on the observation of the parliamentary elections held in Belarus on 17 November 2019.

Lord Blencathra: To ask His Majesty's Government what is their response to Lord Blencathra’s report on electoral reform in Belarus, adopted by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on 21 April 2021.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK Government is appalled by the brutal and ongoing repression that the Lukashenko regime conducts against its own people. We have already applied wide-ranging sanctions to Belarus in response to the regime's continued human rights violations since the 2020 elections. We will continue to put pressure on Lukashenko's regime publicly and privately to offer Belarusians the free and democratic society they deserve. The UK values the work of the Parliamentary Assembly to the Council of Europe as well as our UK delegation, in producing reports which promote these issues. We welcomed the adoption of these reports at the Committee of Minsters.

Turkey: Elections

Lord Blencathra: To ask His Majesty's Government what is their response to the Council of Europe report on the observation of the 2023 presidential election in Turkey.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We have noted the findings of the independent election observation missions in the recent Turkish Presidential and Parliamentary elections, including by the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE). We note from their conclusions that the elections offered voters a choice between genuine political alternatives and voter participation remained high, but there remains more work to do to ensure media freedom and fair judicial treatment of political opponents in Turkey. In our regular interaction with Turkey, we consistently encourage Turkey to uphold the rule of law and to live up to its international obligations as a founding member state of the Council of Europe. The UK, along with all other Council of Europe member States, will respond to the report through the Committee of Ministers.

Department of Health and Social Care

Heart Diseases: Drugs

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the national procurement deal secured by the NHS ondirect-acting oral anticoagulants (DOACs) to help realise the atrial fibrillation aims in the The NHSLong Term Plan, published in January 2019.

Lord Markham: As of February 2023, 877,000 patients on atrial fibrillation registers from their general practice who were eligible for anticoagulation received treatment. The percentage of patients treated with anticoagulation increased by 7% between April 2022 and February 2023, equivalent to over 130,000 additional patients.

Cabinet Office

Honours

Lord Blunkett: To ask His Majesty's Government what is the (1) political affiliation, and (2) current geographic location, where known, for all living recipients of Companions of Honour.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: (1) All Companions of Honour nominations are assessed by one of ten expert independent honours committees on the basis of merit. The political affiliation(s) of each prospective nominee is not taken into consideration during this independent process and therefore this information is not collected by the government. Current recipients of the prestigious Companions of Honour include those who have made a major contribution to the arts, science, medicine or government lasting over a significant period of time.(2) We do not collect the information requested on the current geographic locations for all 63 living recipients of Companions of Honour.

Artificial Intelligence

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to manage the risks posed by their use of artificial intelligence with regards to (1) social security, (2) immigration, and (3) housing.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: It is the role of the Central Digital and Data Office (CDDO) in the Cabinet Office to establish the government's approach to new technologies.In June 2022 as part of the Government Roadmap for Digital and Data, the government published our commitment to “systematically identify and capture opportunities arising from emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence, blockchain and quantum computing”. CDDO has convened external experts and digital leaders across government to rapidly respond to developments in this area.CDDO's role on Artificial Intelligence (AI) is toestablish government strategy;ensure we have the right skills to harness AI; andprovide guidance, policy and assurance to ensure that this new technology is used effectively, to the benefit of taxpayers and communities in the UK, but safely, securely and acknowledging the risk inherent to any technologies that are new to market.CDDO are working with colleagues from security, legal and other functions to achieve this.The requested information relating to specific departmental risk management in the use of artificial intelligence is not centrally held. This sits with the respective departments for such policy areas, including social security, immigration and housing.

Honours

Lord Blunkett: To ask His Majesty's Government how many honours, by each award level, were received in each region or nation of the UK in the Birthday Honours 2023; and what is their estimate of the percentage of the population of each such region or nation that number represents.

Lord Blunkett: To ask His Majesty's Government how many honours above OBE level were awarded to people who were (1) living in, or (2) working or providing service to, the South Yorkshire area at the time of their nomination for an honour in the Birthday Honours 2023 list.

Lord Blunkett: To ask His Majesty's Government how many honours above OBE level were awarded to people who were (1) living in, or (2) working or providing service to, the Sheffield City Region at the time of their nomination for an honour in the Birthday Honours 2023 list.

Lord Blunkett: To ask His Majesty's Government how many residents in the Combined Mayoral Authority of South Yorkshire received an award above the level of MBE in the Birthday Honours 2023 list.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: Statistical information held in relation to the regional breakdown of recipients at all levels on The King’s Birthday Honours List 2023 can be found below. Percentages are rounded to 1 decimal point. Data for CBE and higher levels has been aggregated and is also included below. Data reflects the correspondence address provided by recipients. Data is collected using county data and aggregated into regional figures. Information on the number of nominations by mayoral region, including for both South Yorkshire and Sheffield is not captured, as we are unable to break down the data in that way. Transparency data for the list by county is available on gov.uk. This data relates only to the main Prime Minister’s List and does not include data from the Defence List or the Overseas and International List, which are not administered by the Cabinet Office. Honours are awarded on merit basis. A key aim of the honours system is to ensure that it is more representative of the country as a whole and we will continue to encourage more nominations from every corner of the UK in future honours lists. Regional breakdown - King’s Birthday Honours List 2023 RegionBEMBEM%MBEMBE%OBEOBE%CBE & HigherCBE & higher%TotalPopulation %East302.7%282.5%171.5%131.1%889.3%Yorkshire & Humberside262.3%252.2%171.5%40.3%728.2%London403.5%1019%585.2%464.1%24513.4%North East90.8%141.2%10.08%30.2%274.0%North West292.6%434%171.5%30.2%9211.0%Northern Ireland312.8%302.7%70.6%40.3%722.8%Scotland262.3%393.5%171.5%121%948.2%South East504.5%686%514.5%171.5%18613.7%South West242.1%403.6%100.9%131.1%878.4%Wales90.8%201.8%111%30.2%434.7%West Midlands242.1%272.4%111%90.8%718.9%East Midlands151.3%151.3%100.9%30.2%437.2%Living abroad----10.08%--1-Total332 471 236 132 1,121